Concerned residents packed the Wiesloch Raum Wednesday for the Sturgis City Commission meeting.

Nearly all of them attended to discuss their options stemming from a water main break that occurred Jan. 11 in Sturgis. Residents west of North Lakeview Avenue on Wilshire and Devonshire drives were affected by the problem, 23 homes in all.

Prior to public comment, Mayor Ken Malone told residents they may not get many answers yet at Wednesday's meeting.

"Unfortunately, many of you are going to go away with some questions unanswered because we have a process we have to go through," Malone said. "That's not to say you won't get the answers (eventually), but tonight you won't be getting those answers."

Several basements were damaged as a result of the break and many residents told the commission about their experiences and issues that stemmed from the backup.

Several spoke of spending family time they spend in their basement and it being a place of entertainment and enjoyment, and spoke about monetary losses — several exceeding $5,000 in damages.

First to address the commission was Dave Cramton of 704 Devonshire Drive. Cramton, a full-time firefighter in Three Rivers, said he and his fiancee prefer to live in Sturgis because they enjoy the city.

"I still live in Sturgis, we enjoy this town and it's kept us here," Cramton said. "We're adding onto our house because we really like this area, there's never been a question of that."

However, Cramton did express his concern about the current situation.

"The concern I have as a new parent — and we've had to change our wedding around because of this — as a new father, I don't know how to protect my family from this happening again," he said. "My kids play downstairs in the basement all the time. That's a big family area for us."

David Hurley, of 715 Devonshire Drive, mentioned that because the city provides the services, something should be done to help those who were affected by the incident.

"I hope the city comes through and does the right thing with this," Hurley said. "I know this is a fair council. This has happened before in this town and it was taken care of. And when we take care of the problem can we get it fixed so that it doesn't happen again."

Chris Hackman of 804 Wilshire Drive echoed Hurley's comments.

"I hope the city does the right thing," Hackman said. "I love my city."

City Manager Mike Hughes encouraged residents in attendance to file a claim because of the insurance and legal matters stemming from the break.

However, Hughes said people should not get their hopes up too quickly regarding the problem or receiving money just yet.

Page 2 of 2 - Four claims had been submitted prior to the meeting, Hughes said. As the claims continue to roll in, Hughes said the city will work "quickly" in trying to help mend the issue.

Residents talked about the issue for more than 30 minutes, each expressing concerns over lost money, what to do next and how the city will handle the issue moving forward.

Because insurance will be involved, no one was given a definite answer Wednesday night.